Over-the-range microwave recommendations

What microwave brands are considered good quality with good repair
records? Apparently Maytag bought Amana, and I know Amana used to be
very good. I'm looking for high quality, with fan/vent through the
wall, non-convection, and very basic without a lot of confusing menus
and controls. Thanks

You may want to check out Consumer Reports magazine.
Personally I think I would avoid that idea. To start with it can't do
it any good by placing it in a hot area. The real problem as I see it has
been asked here a number of times. It goes out and the repair cost is more
than the original cost or on occasion it is not repairable and there is no
way to find a replacement that will fit in the same space.

My opinion is opposite yours. I had my original hanging above the range,
trouble free, for about 15+ years. My new one, a GE, has been in place for
about two years. We upgraded to get a convection oven combo.
It is cheaper to buy a countertop model, but we just don't have the counter
space to allocate to it. It is OTR or nothing. We really like the second
oven and I'd do it again tomorrow.

well i just bougth a GE Spacemaker, and I like it alot. It has gt sensor
cooking, which actuially seems to work well, and it has a pretty
powerful fan (~300 CFM) BUT I only have had it 3 months. Hopefully it
will last a while.
I needed a fan and a microwave, and didnt want to sacfice the
counterspace, so the $250 was well worth it. As far as the size goes, it
just seems ridiculous that you couldnt find a replacemnet. Mine is an
over-the-stove standard 30" width. That is all there was where I bought it.
OTOH, if you didnt need a fan, you could just go with a shelf cabinet,
and buy a countertop microwave

Good luck. I just threw my 5 yr old over-the-range GE microwave out; it
would sometimes simply decide not to heat, despite going through the
motions. Looking into it I came across sites like this
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/ge_microwaves.html
Not long after, the local big box store was having a "scratch and dent"
sidewalk sale; I picked up a Whirlpool for $75 - it's been great so far...

Yeah that looked disturbing. I guess I'll just wait and see.
On the other hand, in looking a bit more, I found a complaint page for:
Whirlpool microwaves
Kitchenaid microwaves (range hood)
Maytag Refrigerators
Jennaire appliances
And someone above said avoid anything Maytag.
That doesn't leave a lot of choices...
Sooooooo, the thing is there is always going to be a group of people
getting crappy versions of a product (e.g. a lemon), and not getting the
situation solved to their satisfaction. Although I must admit that there
were quite a few complaints about GE microwaves (many of them were
pretty old (well, mid 90's anyway)). BUT given that there must be
hundreds of thousands of these GE microwaves in operation in this
country alone (maybe in the millions?), I have to think that there are
mostly good ones out there too, or there would really a situation. If
those microwaves were routinely catching fire and burning down houses, I
am guessing we would know about it.
now maybe I am a typical American consumer, but in todays world, I am
not going to be too upset if i spend $200 on a microwave, and it goes
bad after 5 years use. I mean, paying $200 for a producrt that does a
whole lot (mine has a fan) and you use every day for 5 years (pretty
much) is a bargan to me. Maybe microwaves did last 20 years, 20 years
ago, BUT they certainly weren't as complex and feature-filled, and in
today's dollars, they were a WHOLE lot more expensive. I cant think of
much else I use every day for 5 years that would be so cheap (maybe a
tube TV, but those are going by the wayside).
John Harlow wrote:

Mine is about 25 years old and I love the fact that it's simple to operate.
Just a dial and three buttons, Cook, Defrost and Start. It's so solid that I
find myself slamming the door on the microwave at work.. :)

We had one of the original Amana's in 73. The unit was a workhorse.
sure it did not have the power of today's models, but it just kept on
working. When it died we bought another Amana. That was eight years
ago. Completely different story. Last year the interlock switches
began to stick. Strange things began to happen like the light would
not turn off when the klystron stopped, and the fan would turn on when
you opened the door. Admittedly, the klystron was double switch
interlocked so there was no stray microwaves, but I had to replace the
three switches. Shortly thereafter the paint began pealing and the
inside to rus/corrode. We finally dumped it. Upshot is Amana sold out
to someone (could be Maytag or someone else earlier) and the new
corporate owners went cheap and killed the workmanship and name as far
as I am concerned.
Gary Dyrkacz
snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net
Radio Control Aircraft/Paintball Physics/Paintball for 40+
http://home.comcast.net/~dyrgcmn /

I put one into a rental condo about 5 years ago. No complaints.
Basically, I got the cheapest one Loews had in stock that day.
They replace the range hood. They are designed to be plugged in. The
hood circuit is often on a lighting circuit and the microwave is "supposed"
to have it's own circuit. In a typical installation you put a outlet in
the cabinet over the hood and drill a hold to run the plug through.
Your decision should be based on features (including power and whether it
doubles as a convection over) and electric demand. If you have to use the
power that's already there for the range hood, you want lower nameplate
numbers.

Hmmmm and I was under the impression that they never break.. My Sharp Carousel
is from the 70's and is still going strong. It was the first microwave that my
parents ever bought. Maybe they built them better when they first came out.

There is probably not more than a half dozen manufacturers of consumer
microwave ovens. Find out who makes them and who sticks their label on
which one. After that, determine if one manufacturer has a better
track record and buy it from a brand that has good service. Just get
the features and price that suits you.

Yeah, $450 -now- is a lot (for me) to spend on a microwave. Back then,
that is like spending, well, a lot more (i have no idea about the dollar
relation). I had a sharp carosel I left at my last work place. I assume
it is still working. From ~1984. One dial.

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